View the Request for Proposals
Exhibit A – Added 4/9/25

Submitted Question 1: Which public and key stakeholder facilities would the City like audits completed for?

Response to Question 1: We understand that Rochelle City Hall and the RMU Water and Sewer facilities have undergone recent energy audits, however other community partners would benefit from such services. Such audits and modeling should utilize generally accepted methods that communicate actionable value to Rochelle, its partners, and other energy decision makers. Proposers can address their choice of a variety of facilities as their budget allows, the following are some possible facilities in the area:

Flagg Rochelle Park District Facilities
Creston Village Hall
Hillcrest VIllage Hall
Rochelle Township High School
Rochelle ESD Schools
Creston Elementary
Flagg-Rochelle Library
Creston-Dement Library

Submitted Question 2: Do you anticipate that the selected vendor will perform the energy audits and modeling in addition to project management, stakeholder engagement, data collection, and planning activities?

Response to Question 2: Yes.

Submitted Question 3: Thank you for your response to my first question, I saw this was posted online. I just wanted to make sure you received my follow-up email about the level of audits required (e.g. ASHRAE Level 1 or 2).
& Similar Question: Bullet point #6 of the Project Components mentions “audits”. Can you provide more detail on the level of audit that is expected? Will the consultant need to conduct an ASHRAE level energy audit?

Response to Question 3: See response to Question 1 above. In a proposal, you may specify if an audit would meet such criteria.

Submitted Question 4: Could you please elaborate on the expected scope of the energy audits? For example, is there a targeted number of buildings or specific building types across the three communities that should be included?

Response to Question 4: See response to Submitted Question 1. In a proposal, you may specify if an audit would meet such criteria.

Submitted Question 5: How many utility providers serve the communities included in this project (Rochelle, Creston, and Hillcrest)? Will data need to be collected from multiple utility companies?

Response to Question 5: Nicor is the single natural gas supplier for all three areas, Rochelle Municipal Utilities (RMU) is the single electrical supplier for all three areas.

Submitted Question 6: What is the anticipated format of the existing energy data? Will data be provided in spreadsheets, PDFs, or other formats?

Response to Question 6:Selected firm will take raw data from spreadsheets, and also PDF’s of previous assessments.

Submitted Question 7: Can you provide the size (sq. ft.) of the following properties to be assessed?
Flagg Rochelle Park District Facilities
Creston Village Hall
Hillcrest Village Hall
Rochelle Township High School
Rochelle ESD Schools
Creston Elementary
Flagg-Rochelle Library
Creston-Dement Library

Response to Question 7: No, most are readily identifiable on Google Earth. A key park district location is the REC center at 802 Jones Road in Rochelle.

Submitted Question 8: To what extent does the City expect the Prairie State Generating Station’s retirement to factor into the plan, especially given that it is shared with other municipalities and likely comprises the majority of the region’s emissions?

Response to Question 8: Several aspects of the RFP intersect with the unknown long-term future of Prairie State Generating Station.

Submitted Question 9: Are there any existing studies, reports, or power demand growth forecasts which can be referenced as part of the project?

Response to Question 9: No.

Submitted Question 10: Are there any grant or subsidy programs which Rochelle has identified as preferred/desired targets for the project.

Response to Question 10: The same Illinois EPA EECBG grant that funded this planning also recently offered implementation grants. Proposers may be aware of others.

Submitted Question 11: Is there an expectation about frequency and format of project meetings (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly, in-person vs remote)?

Response to Question 11: No, proposers should outline preferred timing for engagement.

Submitted Question 12: Are there any expectations or requirements regarding the means of public engagement? (website, paper flyers in specific public forums, mailing lists, email or phone number for public interface, specific timetables for public notification before specific events, multi-language communication etc.)

Response to Question 12: No, proposers should outline their preferred engagement methods.

Submitted Question 13a: How do you envision engaging key stakeholders throughout the community engagement process? 13b: Are there specific groups or individuals you see as critical to include?

Response to Question 13a: For large-scale users, the city’s economic development team can help with contacts. Proposers may outline engagement methods used successfully for outreach to specific groups in other projects.
Response to Question 13b: We note the RFP calls out large-scale users and low-to-moderate income users, not for profits, and public sector for inclusion.

Submitted Question 14: Is there an appetite for exploring creative engagement techniques (e.g., virtual town halls, mobile survey stations, or others) throughout the engagement process?

Response to Question 14: Yes, please outline your preferred methods.

Submitted Question 15: I was also wondering if there is any flexibility on the project schedule?

Response to Question 15: Requests could be submitted throughout the project if a variance is needed. However, the overall project must complete on time to meet the criteria of the project grant’s funding.